Review: Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey

I’ve been posting reviews of U.S. microdistilleries over the past week or two, so I thought I’d include another one. But don’t go too far out of your way to find a bottle of this one.

Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey, 40%, $40
I love Rogue beers as well as their attitude and philosophy. But this whiskey tastes just too immature—harsh, sweet and one-dimensional. Maybe with some additional aging this whiskey might come around, mellow out and develop, but it has a long way to go.

Interestingly, my review bottle doesn’t have an age statment on it, but it tastes pretty darn close to white lightning. (I was guessing a few months aging at the most.) Then, I just looked at the PDF from their website that I linked to above and it states that it’s aged for one month on that label. It could, of course legally be older than that, but the sample bottle I have seems to suggest only a couple months old.

John,
Let me know when you get a chance to try the new microdistilled whiskey from New Holland Brewing. It’s called Zepplin Bend. It was just released last December, and I got a couple bottles. Here in Michigan it’s running about $65 per.
Three year old, from bourbon barrels, I like the flavor, vanillas, caramels, might benefit from a little longer in the barrel, but very well done for a first effort.

i agree that it has a very sweet taste. i have been drinking whiskey avidly for about 11 years now. the rogue had a sweet and very light taste which was refreshing. however, if you are a lover of whiskey for its dark and “oak-y” taste, this is not the whiskey for you. i certainly prefer the “mature” taste of woodford reserve, gentleman jack/single barrel or gold medal, or basil hayden. for a young bottle, i thought it had a very nice taste to it. the only down-side was its price. but, as a whiskey lover, i didn’t mind to spend.